This brain-implanted hardware could be the next step in restoring lost sight

BY
JASON SPENCER
| PUBLISHED:
01-27-2017

After this success, the company is now planning to work on a device for patients who have a damaged optic nerve and will be called Orion.

Also known as the bionic eye, the Argus retinal prosthesis is an electronic implant that is manufactured by Second Sight Medical products, an American Company.

The bionic eye made headlines around the world and was approved for use in the US in 2013. The technology helped patients who had lost their sight by bringing back elements of vision and was hailed as a breakthrough.

Now, that technology has been improved further, and Doctors have realized how much the brain is flexible. Computer generated images can now be integrated into the brain and users can then see pictures.

The Argus 2 as it is now known, works by gathering images from a camera built into a pair of glasses and worn by the patient. The information about the pictures is then passed to an electrode array that has been implanted at the back of the retina. The signals are then sent down the optic nerve, allowing the patient to 'see' a computer generated visual of the world around them.

After this success, the company is now planning to work on a device for patients who have a damaged optic nerve and will be called Orion.

"The eye really is an extension of the brain; it's directly connected -- brain tissue becomes the retina as we develop in utero. The biological environments are quite similar. All the things we know, such as which bio-compatible to use, really carried over." Dr. Robert Greenberg, Second Sight's chairman, told ZDNet